The Pittsburgh Steelers are still riding the high of their 44-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. They are now 9-3 and have the lead in the AFC North. However, the fight to own the North isn't over yet. The Steelers still have one game remaining against each of their divisional rivals. Those games are fueled by mutual respect and hatred, which makes them some of the hardest-hitting matchups in the league, and the recent win over the Bengals was no exception.
One of the biggest pancakes in the game came from defensive tackle Cameron Heyward. The 35-year-old is having a tremendous bounce-back season after signing a contract extension with the Steelers during the 2024 offseason. In this game alone, he had a deflected pass that gave Donte Jackson an interception, five tackles, two of which were for a loss, and two hits and a sack on quarterback Joe Burrow. However, the hit on Bengals running back Chase Brown was like the hit heard 'round the world. He tackled Brown for a three-yard loss on a first-and-goal at the one-yard line.
On Heyward's podcast Not Just Football With Cam Heyward, his co-host Hayden Walsh asked the team captain about that tackle specifically. Walsh wanted to know if Brown's "soul left his body." He said it felt to him like the Bengals "totally whiffed" on that play, and he was curious if Heyward was shocked by that.
"No, I wasn't shocked," said Heyward with a chuckle. "I beat the guy to the spot, and it happened very quickly. I didn't think I was walking over him, but the picture looks like I was doing a Tyronn Lue thing, I was doing the AI [Allen Iverson] thing. I got respect for the Bengals. The ref came over to me after and was like, 'Hey, you did the right thing, your head was up and everything. Just make sure you don't step over their guy.' I was like, 'I was just trying to get up quick!' It was a nice hit."
Heyward refers to when former Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson infamously stepped over former Los Angeles Lakers guard Tyronn Lue in the first game of the 2001 NBA Finals. Like Heyward, Iverson was arguably just trying to get back on defense against a fallen player.
Other than a stumble against the Cleveland Browns in the snow during Week 11, the Steelers seem to be picking up steam as the season progresses. That's good news, considering they have a tough road ahead of them. That road starts with their redo against the Browns in Week 14 at Acrisure Stadium.
Heyward, along with quarterback Russell Wilson, who just turned 36, is proving that age is just a number. Wilson had one of the best games of his career, with 414 passing yards. Always an important part of the team, Heyward is putting up a banner season. Through 13 games, he has eight deflected passes (his most was nine in 2021), six sacks, and 50 tackles.
Steelers' Cameron Heyward Forgot About The Mics
The whole world knows that the Steelers, along with the rest of the AFC North, are participating in the in-season version of the popular show Hard Knocks. That means that the players and coaches are sometimes mic'd up.
Walsh also asked Heyward about the mics and if he is more careful about what he says because he is wearing it. Heyward said he can't control it that way. He has to flip a switch when he walks on the field and he forgets all about that stuff. He told Walsh he wouldn't be surprised if they had to edit most of what he said, saying that's happened in the past.
